Franklin time capsules: 'Last-ditch effort' finds only dirt

FRANKLIN - Linda Whittemore, a 1977 graduate of Franklin High School, swears that her graduating class buried a time capsule somewhere in the ground outside of the school.

And alumni are adamant that at least four more capsules remain buried. The classes of 1979, 1983, 1984 and 2000 all claim to have buried capsules in the ground - the only problem is that nobody can pinpoint where exactly they are.

According to Town Administrator Jeff Nutting, crews took a day last weekend to "probe around in front of the school" to find the capsules.

He said many alumni and residents called and emailed town officials asking them to look for the capsules after Internet chatter on Facebook alumni pages.

He said the town wanted "to do the right thing," but as hard as they tried, nothing was found.

"They spent most of the day there, but came up empty," Nutting said. "It’s unfortunate. It would have been great."

Nutting said when a "giant green area" in front of the school was converted into a temporary gravel parking lot last year, nothing was found there either.

He called the weekend endeavor a "last-ditch effort," as the old school is now "in the middle of a construction site" as the new Franklin High School nears completion. The old high school is slated for demolition later this month.

With contractors moving materials and storing equipment in front of the school, Nutting said those who wish to search on their own can do so for "another day or two."

"We’re pretty much out of time," he said.

But Whittemore said she and some of her classmates are determined to uncover part of their past.

"A lot of the alumni are working on it," Whittemore said, as many of her classmates remember burying the capsule by the flagpole in front of the school.

"If I remember correctly, we decided that was the best place," she said.

The 43-year-old school will be demolished later this summer to give the new 300,000-square-foot building next door some breathing room. Last month, the school opened on a Saturday for past and current students to get one last glimpse of the school that helped shape their future.

"It might have been that walkthrough that put a fire under everybody," Whittemore said. "This whole thing is very hard for people. We’ve been graduated a long time, but it still feels like it was yesterday in many ways."

Zachary Comeau can be reached at 508-634-7556 and zcomeau@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @ZComeau_MDN.